411’s Countdown to WrestleMania 23: The WrestleMania XVII Roundtable Review
Posted by Larry Csonka on 03.27.2007
"I need to beat you Rock. I need to more than anything you could ever imagine."
Introduction~!
This is it. The card that everyone salivates over. Widely regarded as the best WrestleMania of all time, and by many the best wrestling PPV of all time. It was Rock vs. Austin II, Angle vs. Benoit, all of the titles but one on the line, Vince vs. Shane and the beginning of the WWF vs. WCW War, TLC and Taker vs. HHH all wrapped up into one tight little WrestleMania package. You have heard the hype, you know the card, let's meet the guys and break it down.
Our analysts today are…
I almost lost his submissions, but he's lucky I had a back up, he is Stuart Carapola!
The Shimmy's Andy Clark!
The man who I am sure has this show in the Box in his Attic, he is Samuel Berman!
Finally, the screw job king, Dan Wilcox!
WrestleMania XVII~!:
WWF IC Title: Chris Jericho defeated William Regal @ 6:45 via pin
Stuart Carapola: This wasn't as good an opener as you might have expected, but it was mostly because Jericho had suffered some kind of rib injury and was a bit limited in what he could do that particular night. Still though, decent opener between two men who had been feuding for a couple of months, including the infamous "Jericho pissed in Regal's tea" incident. Jericho hit the Lionsault and that was it for the bad man from Blackpool.
Andy Clark: First off, for my money this is the greatest wrestling event of all time. Of course you've probably heard that already, or possibly just know it yourself. It has everything, a big time feel, a large and hot crowd, a great look, and awesome matches. It has drama, comedy, and everything in between. It takes the best of the athletic part of wrestling and the storytelling of "sports-entertainment" and combines it for one hell of a show. The booking is spot on and the presentation is amazing. Everything from the in ring action, to the video packages, to the commentary (which features the brilliant work of Paul Heyman) is picture perfect, which is why this show is held in such high regard.
WrestleMania X-Seven was great for a number of reasons, but one of the reasons was because each match seemed important. Take a look at this match. It got significant TV time leading up to the show and it even got its own video package. How many opening matches do you know that received video packages? I always smile when the show the "Spot of P, Regal?" sign in the package. How awesome would it be to have your sign immortalized in a video package at WrestleMania? The match was quite the opener and was a great showcase for each superstar. I mean, it's Chris Jericho and William Regal, would you expect a bad match? Jericho was just on in 2001 as the up and coming babyface, and Regal was playing his role of heel commissioner exceptionally well. Regal is one of the few people that could pull off an authority figure role and a still be an active wrestler. Jericho got the win here with the Walls of Jericho and continued to roll on. By the end of the year he would be a World Champion. Unfortunately for Regal by the end of the year he would have literally kissed Mr. McMahon's ass.
Samuel Berman: I would be remiss if I didn't mention how awesome I think it is to have Paul Heyman on commentary for WrestleMania. Also, the wrestlers have a LONG walk from the entrance to the ring (like, so long that they can do the pre-match video package for this match while Regal makes his way down to the ring), emphasizing how large a venue the Astrodome really is for an event like this. Anyway, the match itself is energetic if nothing particularly special. I keep getting distracted by Regal's tights, wondering when he had a chance to borrow them from Bryan Danielson. (Note to certain people: I know Regal trained Danielson, that's why it's funny.) Oh, and all I could think of when Jericho hit an enziguiri to come back was "man, he'd totally get fined in PWG for that…" I really need to start watching some big budget wrestling again, because my though processes are getting pretty sad. Regal's butterfly superplex was REALLY pretty and the submission reversal sequence they do shortly after that was also well done. The Lionsault that gets the pin for Jericho hit really cleanly (and when I have to note that, it says something about that move), but it still felt like the ending came out of nowhere, which also probably says something about that move. Again, a solid effort that the crowd seemed to like, but nothing you couldn't have gotten on RAW during this period.
Dan Wilcox: Remember when the Intercontinental Championship used to be defended at WrestleMania? This was a great choice for an opener to one of the biggest pay-per-view events of all time, as Jericho was massively over and having a great reign as IC champ that started with a great Ladder Match at Royal Rumble in January against Chris Benoit and a classic fatal four way encounter which also included Eddie Guerrero, X-Pac, and Chris Benoit at No Way Out prior to this. William Regal was still relatively new on the scene but had a decent little European Championship run and in the process created a nice little niche for himself as a mid card heel and by this point was even Commissioner of the WWF. The build to this featured some great mic work by both men that included the birth of William Regal's classic "besmirched" remarks and Y2J urinating in Regal's pot of tea. I also recall Jericho running in on one of Mr. Regal's matches disguised as Doink the Clown and putting the Walls of Jericho on Regal. Regal responded by forcing Jericho into a number of difficult matches including a 4-on-1 match against Right To Censor and a 2-on-1 Tables Match against the Dudleyz. This match even got a mini video package as Regal entered, which is extremely rare for any opening match, even if it is WrestleMania. And that was just a symbol of the times when the IC belt was held in a much higher regard, and every match on the card had some importance, something I don't think has happened at a Mania since this one. The SmackDown prior to Mania Regal "injured" Jericho's shoulder using the Regal Stretch (STF) and Regal took advantage of that, working Jericho's shoulder for most of the match. They showed good chemistry but I don't think this match is as good as it could've been, possibly because Jericho had a (non-kayfabe) rib injury going into the show and was holding back. It was still a fun 7-minute contest and the 67,000 strong were hot for this match. Jericho got the (some-what anti-climatic) win using the Lionsault to retain the championship.
The APA and Tazz defeated the Right to Censor @ 5:00 via pin
Stuart Carapola: This just reeked of the WWF trying to get everyone on the show. Short nothing match that saw APA & Tazz go over. Nothing else to say, really.
Andy Clark: This was probably the height of Right to Censor as they would break up soon after this. Right to Censor was actually represented by Val Venis, Bull Buchanan, and the Goodfather here. They booked Steven Richards and Jacqueline at ringside though almost as participants (similar to the booking of Arn Anderson and Mitch at Survivor Series). It was a rare appearance by Tazz wrestling, and I can only imagine that the initial plan for this match was to involve Jerry Lawler instead. It was relatively short but did the job of having the RTC lose on such a big stage. This pretty much spelled the end for the group, which unfortunately meant we couldn't hear JR insult people that wear white socks anymore. Perhaps the most notable thing here is the future JBL's promo before the match, inspiring his partners to go out and kick some ass in the great state of Texas.
Samuel Berman: Hey, remember when Tazz could wrestle? Jackie (who accompanies the APA) running down to the ring makes me laugh for some reason. This one's a mess from the get go. Bull Buchanan hits his pop-up springboard clothesline early. I wish he'd have had a better payoff to that move, like a knee strike or a neck breaker, because while the pop-up is impressive for a guy his size, the clothesline always looked weak. And wasn't he a prison guard the year before this? I suppose you've got to consider the guard-to-religious-zealot move an upgrade, right? Bradshaw gets a nice belly-to-back superplex in and then picks up the victory with the Clothesline from Hell. At this point, if you'd have told me that he would end up defending a World Title at a future WrestleMania, I would have laughed in your face. Clearly the joke was on me. This was short and inoffensive, and a decent enough way to get these guys a WM payday.
Dan Wilcox: This match really was just to get guys on the card. I believe the original plan was for Jerry Lawler to be in this match instead of Tazz, but for some reason unknown to me, Tazz was brought in at more or less the last second. The RTC were on their last legs and even though I actually loved their gimmick, it had just about done all it could do as the faces that they had been "censoring" were to get their revenge tonight. The thing I remember most about this match was Bradshaw's awesome promo beforehand where he got pissed off at Farooq and Jacqueline for not being motivate. It's WrestleMania! He made lots of references to past events at the Houston Astrodome, and even though I didn't understand the sport references (I live in the UK) that short promo got me even more hyped for WrestleMania than I already was. The match itself was basically a brawl on the outside. Jackie and Steven got involved, and Jackie nailed "ol' White Socks" with a DDT for a good pop. In the end, it was the Goodfather who took the Clothesline From Hell and the hometown hero Bradshaw that got the win for his team. The match only went about 4 minutes which is good when you think that all they wanted to do was keep the crowd involved and hyped, as well as getting these guys on the card, and the promo already did that. As the APA, Bradshaw didn't get a lot of chances to show of his promo abilities, which just makes me even more grateful for the Wrestling… Gawd, that is JBL.
Hardcore Title: Kane defeated The Big Show and Raven to become the NEW Hardcore Champion @ 9:30 via pin
Stuart Carapola: I strongly disagreed with guys like Kane and Big Show competing for the Hardcore Title because they were what I called division killers. They were so far above anyone else competing for the title at that time that there was no way they could compete. Case in point, Raven was treated like a bitch and just got tossed around by Kane and Big Show before Kane finally hit a diving elbow off the stage onto Big Show for the win. Raven might as well have not been there for all the difference it would have made, and it just put the Hardcore Title that much further out there as a meaningless title as a result.
Andy Clark: This was certainly a nice rub for both Raven and the Hardcore Title. Raven's grocery cart of stuff is priceless, including a plant, a foam finger, and a Frankenstein doll (or possibly cup?). One of the many great things about this show is that there was a match that covered every base. This was your Attitude Era backstage brawl, in the same vein as the Boiler Room Brawl or those Hardcore Matches that spilled outside. This match is probably best remembered for the golf cart chase scene in the backstage area. Six years later I still cringe when the golf cart rolls up on Raven ankle. Perhaps my least favorite part of the entire show is when the participate "break through a wall" like it's nothing. Small gripe, but I hate when they do stunts that just make you roll your eyes, especially when everything else is flowing so well. In the end Kane comes away with the victory and the title following a cool looking dive off the stage onto a prone Big Show, giving some credibility to the Hardcore Title, if only for a while.
Samuel Berman: Will there ever be a reasonable enough explanation as to why there is a plant in Raven's cart of plunder? I mean, I understand the street signs and the kitchen sink, because those things would hurt if you hit someone with them. But a plant? It's not even in a pot or anything. You know what strikes me first about Big Show's entrance? That he still has hair. I like the early dynamic where one of the big guys is going to hit Raven with a big move, but the other big guy attacks, allowing Raven to avoid taking the bump. Raven was always a cagey competitor. Kane no selling like six shots to the head with a sign is yet another thing on this show that strikes me as being bizarrely funny. Raven's bump through the plate glass window is pretty awesome, and a totally great visual. The big guys do the dueling chokeslam attempts spot that I've always hated, but redeem themselves by crashing through a wall Chris Farley-style. Everyone driving around in the golf cart and the silly buffet spread fight threaten to demean this whole thing even more, but the big bumps at the end keep it reasonable enough to be respectable. The whole thing could have stood to lose a couple minutes of the backstage stuff, but everyone bumped and it was ultimately harmless, violent fun on a card that needed a little bit of that before the bigger, high profile stuff.
Dan Wilcox: This was really fun match. Raven, the champion, going at about 230lbs and maybe 6"1, 6"2 tops, defending against The Big Show and Kane, the two biggest sons of bitches freak monsters the WWF had to offer. The were several title switches between Show, Raven, and others leading up to this but coming in to this bout, Raven was the champion, and as Paul Heyman said on commentary numerous times, his best hope in this match was to RUN! And that's exactly what he did, and they all ended up brawling around the backstage area. A couple of decent spots I can remember off the top of my head include, Raven getting run over by Kane in a golf cart, Raven flying through a glass window, Raven getting chokeslammed onto some wooden pallets, and Raven getting tossed off the stage. Good work, Raven! Kane would get the win with a big leg drop from the stage, crashing onto Big Show and Raven, to become the new Hardcore Champion. The Hardcore title was going through a decent spell at this point, with the fun fracas and No Way Out the month before, this great Triple Threat, and Rhyno and Raven put on one of my favorite Hardcore title matches at Backlash the month after. I miss the Hardcore title. Of course, Kane was only in this match because big brother The Undertaker was fighting nasty Triple H, so they had to put their alliance on hold temporarily. Show had been and would be in the Hardcore picture for a few months and was really in limbo for a long time until the Invasion angle started. Ah, the good ol' days. So, if you are a fan of chaotic, golf kart style humor, you will love this hardcore match, as the fans did live in the Astrodome. It was great addition to the card a nice little showcase for the Hardcore Championship.
WWF European Title: Eddie Guerrero defeated Test @ 8:35 via pin
Stuart Carapola: This was a pretty good match by Test's standards, but look who carried him there. Guerrero did his usually masterful job of carrying anything on two legs or less to a watchable match, although to be fair, Test wasn't quite so bad at that time. He wasn't quite ECW Title material at the time, but it was six years ago. Anyway, Malenko and Saturn got themselves involved and, one belt shot later, Eddy Guerrero was once more the European Champion.
Andy Clark: Eddie had just taken over as the leader of the Radicalz following his falling out with Chris Benoit, but he hadn't quite worked his way back up to IC Title contention. Test had been rolled up and down the card since 1999, getting hot as a potential breakout main eventer, moved into the midcard Hardcore division, put in a midcard tag team as part of T&A, then received a decent, if unspectacular, upper midcard push that resulted in this European Title reign. For a while it seemed like WWE almost forgot he had the belt, but fortunately they put this match together for the big show. I think a lot of people will call this one of Test's best matches and I wouldn't disagree. Eddie and Test had a great big man-little man chemistry here and they actually made the European Title seem important for a few minutes. They almost ran into trouble as Test got his foot caught pretty good in the ropes and even Eddie had to try and get him out. Everything managed to work out OK in the end, though, and thanks to some help from Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn's fuzzy hat Eddie Guerrero became a 2-time European Champion.
Samuel Berman: I actually think Test looks pretty menacing here, especially in the ring with the much smaller Eddie. That being said, in the ring, Mr. Martin is totally outclassed. I mean Eddie outdistances him by like a football field. Test does hit most of his stuff cleanly and has always been able to portray the force of his blows well, both to his credit. Seeing Perry Saturn at ringside is kind of a sad sight, considering how he never really made it like the other R4dicals did. In some ways, this match reminds me a lot of Eddie's battles against JBL a couple of years later, with the smaller Eddie having to compensate for the size disadvantage by outsmarting and outwrestling a bigger (but still mobile) opponent. There are about three points down the stretch where the ref could have called for a disqualification and been totally justified, but the CHEAT 2 WIN ending is vintage Eddie and still brings a smile to my face. This match up shouldn't have even been on the card, but I'll get to that in just a bit.
Dan Wilcox: Perry Saturn's hat > everything. Eddie was starting to break out at this point and had recently become the leader of the Radicalz as Chris Benoit was moving on to greater things. Test had been on a roller coaster of time, being shuffled up and down the card like nobody's business, put in tag teams and dumped by Stephanie McMahon. But he got to hang out with Trish Stratus for a while, so he can't complain. Anyway, this was a really fun big man/little man match, and one of those rare occasions that the little man is playing the role of the face. Eddie was dominated for the first half of the match but being the sly Latino Heat that he was, he used interference from Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn to get the upper hand. Eddie worked the leg for a long while until Test made his comeback. That tilt-a-whirl side slam was one of the prettiest things I have ever seen. And that was one of the gayest things I've ever said. Eddie used the championship belt and a Malenko distraction to pick up the win and become a two-time European champion. And watching this match again, I've realized that Perry Saturn's hat > Dean Malenko's shirts > everything else.
Kurt Angle defeated Chris Benoit @ 14:21 via pin
Stuart Carapola: This was the first singles match between Angle and Benoit that I'm aware of, and I thought it was really good. I especially loved the mat wrestling exchange at the beginning of the match. Despite what the announcers said, though, Angle rocked Benoit on that, and if you know what to look for, Benoit looked totally clueless in that situation. But that aside, great match, and I think it would probably have gotten even more praise if it weren't on this show. If this were on one of the in-between monthly PPVs, it would easily be match of the night. And while it was very good, they would go on to top it several times over the next few months, culminating in their classic at Royal Rumble 2003, which I consider one of the best matches of the decade. Angle went over, too, which really surprised me.
Andy Clark: There is something ironic about the fact that one of the best WrestleMania matches ever didn't get booked until a week before the show because neither man had anything to do. I mean, it obviously wasn't a stretch to book these two against one another, especially given the simple storyline involved, but it's still funny to note. The match itself was great and having Paul Heyman on commentary made it even better. I really don't know what much there is to say, I mean it's Angle-Benoit for crying out loud. You expect it to suck? Quite frankly this was a pretty nice rub for Benoit considering that Angle had been rubbing elbows with Austin and The Rock in the weeks preceding Mania. In any event these two men started what actually turned out to be a pretty lackluster feud (with the exception of the Steel Cage Match that took place right here in Richmond, VA! [thumbs up]) with an incredible first encounter and it is only appropriate that it took place at the biggest show of all-time.
Samuel Berman: Ok, you see this match wasn't even supposed to be on this card as far as I'm concerned. Benoit's split from Guerrero, Saturn & Malenko seemed for months to be leading to a big blow off Benoit vs. Guerrero match at WrestleMania. For whatever reason, they blew that feud off on RAW about a month ahead of time (a RAW that I coincidentally covered in the debut edition of The Box in the Attic (Thumbs up, cheap pop)) and then did some hastily assembled storyline garbage to give us this instead. I'm not complaining about Benoit-Angle, mind you, just somewhat disappointed that we didn't get twenty minutes of Benoit-Guerrero in the Astrodome. Anyway, this match is totally groundbreaking amateur style stuff that was eons ahead of its time, even in 2001. In a lot of ways, this legitimized the style that a lot of Ring of Honor's guys use today (especially "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson). The crowd eats the stuff up, too, which just makes it all that much sadder that we'd have to wait almost two years for the SmackDown! Six matches that continued the great work between these guys. This match is further notable for the debut of the crazy submission reversal sequences that these two would go on to use countless times against each other (including a couple of years later in their Match of the Year at Royal Rumble). In the end, this one's an absolute tit-for-tat classic that will probably never be fully recognized as the trend setting, state-of-the-art contest it was.
Dan Wilcox: For the second straight year, Angle and Benoit fought it out on the biggest stage of ‘em all, only this time it was in one-on-one competition. It's Kurt Angle, and it's Chris Benoit, you figure the rest out. The match was awesome, full stop. This would be the first match of a long series of matches that also included a 30-minute submission match and a 2-out-of-3 falls war at Judgment Day, but of the three, I have to think that this one was the best. Angle got the victory with a roll up and use of the tights for added leverage. Some say that the long ref bump and Benoit having the match won on several occasions while the referee was down detracts from the rating of this match, but I think it was a good way of really starting a feud off. They continued it backstage when Benoit attacked Angle and applied the Cripple Crossface, forcing Angle to tap like a biatch! My main problem with this match is the lack of build. Angle had just had a very good 5 month run with the WWF Championship but had lost to The Rock at No Way Out, and now had nothing to do, while Benoit was coming off a couple of failed attempts to win the Intercontinental Championship from long time rival Chris Jericho and had recently turned face for the first time in his WWF career. So there were two awesome athletes with nothing to do for Mania and they just threw them together with about 2 weeks build. Still, it was fresh and the start of a long and awesome feud, and this match was at least **** so that's just a small gripe.
Women's Title: Chyna defeated Ivory to become the NEW Women's Champion @ 2:40 via pin
Stuart Carapola: Chyna had been attacked and piledriven by RTC some months ago, so when Chyna and Ivory met at the Royal Rumble, Chyna was kicking her butt, but bumped wrong on her neck and collapsed, and Ivory covered her for the win. Chyna was out with a neck injury until they got here, and it was the exact same match, except that this time, Chyna won. There really wasn't anyone else they could book to take the title off of Chyna, who had been beating men, so her title reign just chugged along until late spring-early summer when her contract ran out and she mysteriously disappeared. I'm sure it had nothing to do with Triple H and Stephanie hooking up behind her back.
Andy Clark: There isn't much to say about this match because it is basically a squash. Say what you will about Joanie Laurer now, but there was a time when Chyna was awfully over. She was Trish Stratus before Trish got good (although obviously not as hot) and WWE could actually build major angles around her, such as this one. Thankfully WWE had the good sense not to try and make us believe that Ivory could do anything to Chyna and they just let Chyna kick her ass. This storyline actually wasn't too bad as they managed to really book it long term with Chyna finally getting the win, and the title, in the end. After seeing Chyna compete with main eventers and even winning the Intercontinental Title it's a bit weird to see her dominating the Women's division, but it was also fresh. It's a shame Chyna didn't last long in the Women's division before she parted ways with the company.
Samuel Berman: God only knows why Ivory wouldn't just have the rest of the RTC at ringside for this one, but I didn't book in 2001. Ivory looking all worried before the match starts is a nice touch. The first words of Chyna's entrance music ("Don't treat me like a woman, don't treat me like a man…") are kind of creepy in retrospect, no? Petty, mean-spirited comments aside, this match is a total waste of time (like Test and Eddie couldn't have gone 14 minutes instead of 9?) paying off an angle that I certainly didn't care about then or now. I suppose that I applaud the notion of psychology (Chyna's got an injured neck and Ivory focuses it as much as is possible), but in a three-minute match, what's the point? Chyna winning was totally a political move with the Playboy hoopla and her book (which I think was either just out or upcoming). The part of me that likes what the SHIMMER ladies do died a little while watching this.
Dan Wilcox: The stipulation for this match was that the Right To Censor (the group Ivory was a part of) were all banned from ringside for this match, while any damage Ivory did to Chyna's "injured" neck was not her responsibility. This had been built up for months, ever since Val Venis "broke" Chyna's neck with a spike piledriver back in December. Chyna returned at the Rumble but re-injured herself yet again. Ivory didn't even get the chance to injure Chyna's neck. The match was a two-minute squash and I believe that Ivory didn't get in hardly any offence. Chyna finished off her foe with a powerbomb, and a press slam. Yeah. As I mentioned earlier, this would be more or less the end of the RTC so the winner was far too predictable. And for the two-time Intercontinental Champion, believe it or not this was her first Women's title reign. Of course, she would only be with the company a few more months and then Trish Stratus would step up and claim her first title, and we all know what happened after that. I've heard some say that this match didn't deserve it's place on arguably one of the greatest cards of all time, but Chyna was still massively over and everyone hated the RTC. This had plenty of build and just about everyone wanted to see Chyna get her revenge on Ivory. Besides, including entrances, it went about, 5 minutes? You really can't complain.
Shane McMahon defeated Vince McMahon @ 14:11 via pin
Stuart Carapola: I forget exactly what caused this latest round of hostility between the McMen, but the big thing was that the WCW buyout happened about a week before the show and, while it was owned lock, stock, and barrel by Vince in real life, the storyline had Shane buying the promotion out from under his father's nose and causing him a huge embarrassment. I hope Shane didn't pay for WCW with real money. Linda was comatose in a wheel chair at ringside because she had received a divorce suit from Vince weeks earlier and she still hadn't recovered. Watching over her was Trish Stratus, who was being played as Vince's slut girlfriend at the time. Stephanie came out and attacked Trish, dragging her to the back and brawling all the way. Linda miraculously recovered and got in the ring, kicking Vince in the balls and setting Vince up for the Van Somethingator (I keep forgetting which is the Van Terminator and the Van Daminator) and special referee Mick Foley counted the fall. It was actually a pretty good brawl with so much extracurricular crap going on that it would have distracted from any deficiencies the match had anyway.
Andy Clark: Mick Foley is your referee here, and it is a Street Fight. Stephanie McMahon also accompanies her father and Vince's mistress Trish Stratus wheels a drugged up Linda McMahon out to watch as well. Got all that? Oh, and an assortment of WCW midcarders is supporting Shane-o-Mac from the luxury box. Just like any high profile McMahon match this match wasn't a technical marvel but it was heavily booked enough to be entertaining. Trish would turn on Vince midmatch and that would lead to a Trish-Stephanie catfight that would take them out of the picture. This would set the stage for a cocky Vince to set up his "vacant" wife on a chair in the ring so she could watch what he did to her demon seed. But wait…she lives! The funniest thing about the whole thing is watching Vince blatantly open his legs wider so Linda can nail him with the low blow. I believe this was also the debut of the Coast-to-Coast, which would put Vince away. The McMahon's definitely came to play on such a big stage here.
Samuel Berman: There's like a dozen storylines in this one that are all weaved together in one of those great Attitude Era overbooking fests. Shane bought WCW out from under his dad's nose. Vince has been cavorting with Trish Stratus while his wife Linda was comatose in a wheelchair. Vince fired Mick Foley as commissioner, but Mick found a loophole to come back and referee this match. Stephanie and Trish were engaged in what amounted to a months-long catfight for Vince's attention and approval. Add it all together, mix in some big bumps on Shane-O-Mac's part and you've got a Streetfight of, umm, err, "epic" proportions. To be honest, that's not completely fair, as Shane and Vince play their parts pretty well and Mick is his usual entertaining self. Mick's loose button down with painted referee stripes on it cracks me up, even today. Shane's not a technical wizard in the ring or anything, but I have to give him credit: he's always brought the goods in his big PPV matches. I actually wonder what he'd be like in a match with some of the Independent guys I watch today. Does someone want to tell me that Shane and BJ Whitmer couldn't have a pretty fun brawl? I mean his two big bumps (the elbow drop through the announce table and the Van Terminator) are totally on par with any two high spots from a normal ROH match, let alone the new style WWE matches. Anyway, back to the match itself, this is almost like the McMahon version of Raven & Stevie vs. The Pitbulls, with SO much stuff going on that the overbooking becomes acceptable and an important part of why the match works in the first place. I'm not saying this is a classic or anything, but if you watched RAW at the time and followed all of the storylines, this was a nice culmination of a bunch of different things. And for the record, the HUGE pop when Linda rose out of her chair bears me out on that assessment. Sitting there and looking stoic would be the peak of Linda's acting talents, however.
Dan Wilcox: Summary of the feud – Vince started banging Trish Stratus, and put his wife in a home on medication. Vince and Trish would continue to make out in public and this happened to piss off Shane O Mac, so he came back to confront dear old daddy, but Vince had Triple H beat Shane up, saying he would never forgive Linda for giving birth to him. Nice. Oh yeah, and Shane bought WCW from under Vince's nose. And as one of a large number of contracts Foley signed with Linda a while ago, Foley could be ref. Got that? And Steph factored into this somewhere. It's the McMahon's at WrestleMania, so you can guarantee two things;
1. An overbooked, mess of a storyline with numerous stipulations and random people involved for no particular reason and
2. In the match, they will pull out all the stops.
And they did. I believe this was the first time Shane attempted his Leap Of Faith from the ring post to the announce table, but he missed it when Stephanie McMahon pulled Vince off the table. Trish turned on Vince midway through the match, leading to Steph and Trish brawling (?) to the back. And Mick got revenge for his firing a couple of months back by shoving Mr. Socko down Vinny Mac's throat. And Linda also "shocked the world" by rising from her chair to kick hubby in the balls, allowing Shane to get the win with the first ever Pillar To Post with the trash can. Funny how the first time he did looks way better than all the other times. It's just WrestleMania, baby. Anyway, we all know where this would eventually lead, and no one around here really likes to talk about that, so we'll wrap up. It was a great, overbooked, clusterfuck of a brawl and the crowd loved every minute of it, and why wouldn't they? Everyone got what they wanted to see, and that's Vince getting his ass kicked. But as Vince always says, "he who laughs last, laughs loudest." Wise man.
Tag Team Titles: TLC: Edge and Christian defeated The Dudleyz and The Hardyz to become the NEW World Tag Team Champions @ 15:51
Stuart Carapola: Even though I saw the Ladder Match (aka TLC Zero) at WrestleMania 2000, I hadn't seen the first TLC match at Summerslam, and I heard that it had even topped WrestleMania, so I was really psyched to see this match and, once again, they topped themselves. The spots were crazier, the falls bigger, and they even had people in their corner this time! However, Edge & Christian had Rhyno in their corner and, since he was far more imposing than Spike Dudley and Lita, was able to help Edge & Christian climb to victory yet again, and the Canadian Blonds had now won all three of their three-way encounters.
Andy Clark: Much like Angle-Benoit, what can I say? It's the Hardys, the Dudley Boyz, and E&C in their favorite environment. How the hell can this not be good? Scratch that, how can this not be AWESOME? This match had the added dimension of each team having a second (or third as the case may be) as Lita, Spike Dudley, and Rhyno all played into the match. I love that Dudley Dog to Christian outside of the ring. Edge & Christian proved their TLC dominance by winning the match yet again and Edge's WrestleMania undefeated streak would continue on. It's amazing to think that it was six years ago that we saw these three teams tearing it up in the tag team division.
Samuel Berman: It's been said before, but these teams have been often imitated and never truly duplicated. The new element here is each team's outside help: Spike Dudley, Lita & Rhyno. It's actually kind of strange, but even though this match is a classic (which it is, make no mistake about that), I feel like there's actually very little to say about it. All of these guys are great (and this was a great period for all three duos as teams) and they do a lot of great spots. I suppose I could describe some of the bigger bumps, but no description does this kind of action justice. It's TLC II. If you've never seen it you should and if you have seen it, then you don't need me to describe it for you to understand why it was so great. Have other matches had great spots? Sure. The first Money in the Bank match had some great stuff as did the Paul London-Michael Shane Streetfight in ROH. But this one features the original innovators and you can't put a price on that, so to speak.
Dan Wilcox: Oh now we're talking! This match just flat out rocked, and I don't even think it was better than Summerslam or last year's Mania. Edge spearing Jeff Hardy from 20ft in the air is a visual I don't think I will ever forget. Pure awesomeness. The added feature to this match was that each team had a third who all interfered during the match. Jeff duplicated his 20ft Swanton Bomb through a table to take out Spike Dudley and Rhyno and The Dudleyz took out (a shirtless) Lita with a 3D. Had to throw in the topless part. So this left the three tag teams to battle it out and battle it out they did. The match was packed with even more great spots than before and they truly went balls to the wall here, with Matt and Bubba crashing through four tables to set up the finish. It was Rhyno who was the deciding factor as he gave Christian a boost up the ladder while Edge held back D-Von, and E & C were tag team champions again. That's the only part of the match I don't like. Edge and Christian went over the Triangle Ladder match at Mania XVI and TLC I at Summerslam (which the Hardyz should have won in their hometown) and they went over again here. I'd have loved to see the Hardy Boyz take this one, but it was not to be. Another ***** classic from one of the greatest tag team eras. And Lita was shirtless.
The Iron Sheik won the Gimmick Battle Royal @ 3:10
Stuart Carapola: This was held at a time when WWE had much more of a sense of humor when it came to their booking decisions, and wasn't made out to be a serious deal at all. All the fun was watching the goofy characters coming to the ring and making their entrance, and listening to Mean Gene and Bobby Heenan on commentary. The match itself was only about three or four minutes long, and unfortunately was not won by my pick, Repo Man. It was instead taken by the Iron Sheik, and he was so broken down by that point that the popular opinion at the time was that he had won because it would have been too dangerous to try and throw him over the top for fear of his health. Sgt Slaughter came in and put him out with the Cobra Clutch after the match to get the last laugh on the evil foreigner.
Andy Clark: I don't care what anybody says, this match ruled. From Mean Gene and Bobby Heenan's commentary, to the nostalgia factor of some of the best and worst gimmicks in WWE history. I love the shot of the one fan getting really into Hillbilly Jim's entrance. This match really was all about the entrances and the commentary, which was good considering the age of some of the participants. This was certainly a fun comedy match and it added to the overall quality of the show.
Samuel Berman: I know this is some people's cup of tea with the nostalgia trips and all, but I am not one of those people. You know the WWF wasn't taking this match seriously either (ok, I know that no one REALLY took a Gimmick Battle Royal seriously, but you know what I was angling for) because the match only goes like three minutes. To be fair, some of the participants were grandparents at this point (and not young ones), so what could you expect, but still. Doink, not surprisingly (to me at least) gets the biggest pop, and is followed by Umaga. Oh, sorry, that's Kamala. I get confused sometimes. (And, yes, I know that was a cheap, easy joke, but I don't even want to be watching this, so cut me some slack) Jim Cornette participating (rather than being on commentary like Heenan and Mean Gene) seems strange to me, but then this was years before his feud with Homicide, so the context makes it alright, I guess. I should note that the entrances take like twice as long as the actual match, but that was probably the point of the whole thing anyway. Oh, and never mind that Doink comment, because now Sgt. Slaughter is out, and he's CLEARLY the crowd favorite. The action is fast and furious. Actually, strike that. The eliminations are fast and furious, the action, not so much. I can't decide whether this was harmless fun or useless fun, so let's call it harmless uselessness and split the difference
Dan Wilcox: This was just filler, a bit of fun. And it was. The entrances took longer than the match itself, and I think on average there was an elimination every 7 seconds. Sheik won the match but Sgt Slaughter got revenge after the match with the Camel Clutch. I really don't have anything else to say on this one.
The Undertaker defeated HHH @ 18:27 via pin
Stuart Carapola: Of all the years of his massive WrestleMania undefeated streak, this was the only time I thought Undertaker had any real chance of losing. This was also probably among Undertaker's best WrestleMania matches, if not the best. Triple H was really hot at this time, as he had spent most of the last year and a half at the top of the WWF, including the McMahon-Helmsley Regime angle. Even back then, people were big on the whole "HHH buries everyone", although that didn't become the main bitching point of the world until his return from injury about a year after this. Anyway, this was a great match that saw them brawl all over the building, and both men survived big spots, Triple H taking a chokeslam off scaffolding in the crowd, and Undertaker taking a sledgehammer shot from HHH. As you know, Undertaker eventually went over, putting HHH away with the Last Ride, but this was probably the only time I didn't know for sure who was going to win an UT match at WrestleMania.
Andy Clark: This is often referred to as a forgotten gem in the annals of WrestleMania history and for the most part it is true. This was a pretty simple feud, with Triple H saying that he had beaten everybody but Undertaker reminding him that he had never beaten him. The buildup to this match had a great backstage segment where Triple H ambushed Taker and set a chair on top of Taker's throat while Triple H sat on the chair and talked down to Taker. Motorhead plays Triple H to the ring and there had been rumors that Limp Bizkit would be there to play Undertaker to the ring as well. I thought that the idea of dueling bands would have been pretty cool, but unfortunately Fred Durst and company didn't show. The bulk of the match took place outside of the ring with Undertaker and The Game bludgeoning each other with just about everything. Some comically long ref bumps allowed this match to pretty much be a No Holds Barred encounter. The spot of the match came when Undertaker chokeslammed Triple H off a production scaffold into the crowd below. Another camera shot really kills the visual, but that initial shot is pretty darn cool. Triple H was probably the realest threat to Undertaker's undefeated streak in quite some time and I though it was all over when he nailed Taker with the sledgehammer while Taker performed the Last Ride. We all know now that Undertaker came away victorious, but then it was some tense stuff. I believe this was also the first time they did the now overused spot of Undertaker's opponent going for the top rope punches only to be caught by the Last Ride.
Samuel Berman: This was during the "Decade of Destruction" phase for the Undertaker, right in the middle of his biker period. Motorhead playing Triple H down to the ring live is pretty cool, even though I'm not particularly a fan of theirs. Hunter enters sans Stephanie for this one, which is all the better because it's a big dome-spanning brawl anyway and she'd just get in the way. The flashbulbs for Undertaker's entrance in this one are pretty incredible, by the way. Going in this was going to be either UT dragging down HHH into a listless match or pre-injury HHH elevating UT workrate-wise to a near-classic, with very little room in the middle. It turned out that HHH really was Midas at this point, even carrying the far less mobile Undertaker to a great match that had the kind of "Big Match Feel" that you just can't fake or synthesize. Have I mentioned how awesome HHH was at this point? Oh, yeah I did. Well it deserves a second mention: HHH was just unbelievably awesome at this point in his career, having incredible matches with everyone he faced in every style you can imagine. They do a fantastic false finish towards the end, with HHH hitting UT mid-powerbomb with the sledgehammer, but the Dead Man winning was probably the right move, because he was in line for his traditional post-WM push and HHH could have been pinned by anyone and not lost momentum during this period. If you don't believe me, I refer you to Jeff Hardy's weeklong IC Title reign a few weeks later.
Dan Wilcox: This is probably one of the most underrated matches in WrestleMania history. I first want to start off for giving props to Motörhead for their performance playing Triple H's theme music ‘The Game' when Trips entered. This was a great live performance, and I know regular readers of my column agree as it won Best Live Musical Performance in the 21st Century WrestleMania Awards. Another thing about this match that deserves credit is the build for this match. While it would always be playing second fiddle to Rock/Austin and even Shane/Vince, they did a great job of putting this match together out of practically nowhere. The Game cut a promo about he had "taken your heroes, and beat every single one of them." Of course, Hunter had never beat The Deadman, so the story was set. I recall one of my favorite Triple H's promos of all time where he attack Taker backstage, set a chair on him and sat on it to deliver the promo. "You say you make people famous, but I'm already famous. You know what I'm famous for? Crippling people." Awesome. Taker seeked revenged and eventually threatened to have Stephanie McMahon thrown from a balcony to get the match. Before the match, I was hoping he would just toss Steph instead, but not after I had seen it. And Triple H also destroyed Taker's motorcycle by pushing it off the SmackDown stage while cutting another great promo, and Taker also got his head busted open with a sledgehammer, something they frequently played upon during the match. When the referee was bumped early on, it became an all-out brawl. They fought through the 67,000 fans, and despite Trips using a chair to destroy Taker, The Game was chokeslammed off the equipment scaffolding by the Deadman. One camera angle showed that he landed on a padded mat, which took away from the spot, but seeing The Game literally disappear into a hoard of screaming fans was a great visual. When they eventually got back to the ring, Taker hit the Tombstone but the referee didn't recover in time and Triple H survived. Taker then went for a Last Ride, but in a great spot, Trips scooped up the sledgehammer and NAILED Taker in the back of the skull. I, and many others, thought the streak was over but it was not be as Taker kicked out. Trips then got caught with the 10 punches in the corner into a Last Ride counter and it was over. Great brawling match, and it's a shame they didn't have many more one-on-one matches as they showed great chemistry here. I would easily rate this match **** and it's probably the 4th best of the night!
Stuart Carapola: I'd say that this is probably the best WrestleMania main event ever. The only other one that I think is on its level is HHH-Michaels-Benoit from WrestleMania 20, but this was a one-on-one match, and if there's two men who always had amazing chemistry, it would be Austin and Rock. They were also the two biggest names of the Attitude Era and was well into Rock's run as a main eventer, so even though the WrestleMania 15 main event seemed totally one-sided and predictable, this one came off as being a lot more even. They did their little sequence where they kick out of each other's finisher, and then give each other their own finisher and kick out of that too. They did that every time they wrestled, but somehow it was always awesome. Austin went on this unbelievable tear of awesome match after awesome match, and it all started here. This was also the match where Austin made his ill-advised heel turn and joined his hated enemy Vince McMahon. The finish was one of the awesomest ever. Austin gave Rock everything he had and Rock kept kicking out, so Austin just took a chair and beat the ever loving piss out of him, hitting him probably fifteen times before giving one last big whack for the win. I still consider that one of the best endings of any match ever.
Andy Clark: An now for the maaaaain event. This is my second favorite match of all time (a close second at that) and for my money the greatest WrestleMania match ever. The buildup, the atmosphere, the match, everything worked together perfectly. Having Paul Heyman on commentary for this match was also a blessing. I could teach a class on the nuances of this match and the epic storytelling. You've got to start off with the great video package leading up to the match, one of my favorites and I believe a favorite of some of my fellow panelists. Then you get the entrances, with the backdrop of the picturesque Astro Dome. Stone Cold, the returning hometown and company hero, who battle back from a career threatening injury is now back at WrestleMania in the main event. A lot has changed since he left and The Rock, the man that once played second fiddle to Austin 3:16, has now lapped Austin in terms of popularity. The Rock didn't just keep the seat warm, he claimed the seat for himself and used Austin's year off to cement his legacy as one of the all-time greats as well as use it as a launching pad for his Hollywood career. Throw in the injury to Austin and the question needed to be asked: could Stone Cold still beat The Rock? After a year of healing up and wondering Austin needed validation, which he even said in their sit-down interview. "I need to beat you, Rock. I need it more than anything you could ever imagine." Austin NEEDED to beat The Rock, for his livelihood, for his legacy, and for his very sanity.
On the flip side you had The Rock, who had become accustomed to life on the top. No longer was he seen as the company's No. 2 babyface, he was the guy. While he respected Austin there was no way he was giving up his top spot without a fight. The Rock was also heading into hostile territory as the Houston fans were not only cheering Austin more, they were actively booing The Rock. Jim Ross even seemed to turn on The Rock on commentary, cheering on his good buddy Austin. The Rock knew he would have to do everything in his power to stave off Austin, and Austin would have to do the same thing. As with all the Austin-Rock matches both men would use each man's finisher in an attempt to put the other away. Austin would show his desperation by pulling out the Million Dollar Dream, hoping that that could put down the People's Champ. In a throwback to Bret Hart-Roddy Piper from WrestleMania VIII, The Rock used the turnbuckles to turn that into a pinning combination and forcing Austin to release the hold. That wouldn't be the only WrestleMania moment that Rocky would lift from the Hitman as he would lock a bloody Austin in the Sharpshooter, attempting to force the Texas Rattlesnake to tap out. Austin managed to fight back and soon the home crowd advantage seemed to help him. I remember watching the match in my living room and screaming at the fans in attendance and a biased JR that were turning on the man that had carried the company on his back while Austin was out licking his wounds. I cheered every heelish act The Rock did, and I was damn near giddy when The Rock blasted Austin in the head with the ring bell.
This was a nice little comeback for Austin to be sure. He managed to turn the people against the People's Champ, he got to bust out some old maneuvers, and he took every unfair advantage that he could. But it still wasn't enough. Stone Cold really couldn't beat The Rock anymore and everyone knew it. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Austin had one more trick up his leave, one nobody saw coming: Vince McMahon. The Chairman of the Board would stroll down to ringside and eventually help his longtime rival Stone Cold Steve Austin defeat The Rock and once again become WWE Champion. McMahon had promised we'd see something shocking earlier in the evening, and this was damn sure that. As JR would repeatedly say, Austin had sold his soul to the devil himself in order to regain the title. How appropriate that six days after the Monday Night War officially ended that WrestleMania would end with Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon shaking hands in the center of the ring. This was a phenomenal match and an amazing piece of storytelling that has not, and I doubt ever will be, duplicated.
Samuel Berman: Speaking of "Big Match Feel", this match couldn't be literally or figuratively bigger. The pre-match video package is even one of the greatest I've ever seen, completely covering the lead-up, while being expertly set to "My Way" by Limp Bizkit (which was the WrestleMania theme song that year). I mean even the Rock Bottoms and Stunners hit on the down beats in the music during the promo. Just top-shelf stuff on every level. One of the amazing parts of this match is how much The Rock has improved since his last WrestleMania title defense against Austin just two years earlier. Watching 1999 Rock and 2001 Rock is like night and day. Both guys start at a frantic pace, so you know they're game for a classic. They pull out all the classics: finisher reversals, brawling in the crowd, using the announce table, finisher stealing. You name it, they do it. Both guys bleed, both guys cheat. I cannot say it more plainly: this match is unbelievably fantastic. They even have Austin bleeding buckets while in the Sharpshooter and then him using the Million Dollar Dream (only to have Rocky use the ropes to flip over into a cover). Simply awe-inspiring. I'll leave it at this: if you were going to show someone just one wrestling match in an attempt to explain to them what it's all about, this match would make the shortest of lists.
Dan Wilcox: And here we have our main event. This match had absolutely everything. The two biggest baby faces in the company, arguably of the last 10 years, one-on-one (for the second time) at WrestleMania for the WWF Championship A couple of commendations first; the build. It started with the teasing of Austin nailing Rocky with his Stunner, but they held back, then it all exploded a few weeks before Mania with the storyline of Debra being Rock's manager. I can't remember of Rock Bottom/Stunners we saw, and counters to each for that matter. There was also a lot of fantastic promo work. The sit down interviews were fantastic, with Austin saying how he respected The Rock. This was a match that both guys needed to win, and neither could afford to lose. But as Austin said, he was prepared to do anything to becoming WWF Champion. Anything. Also have to give credit to the guys who put the video package together. Backed by the song ‘My Way' by Limp Bizkit, that video package had to be the greatest in wrestling history. The bit towards the end with Austin violently toasting The Rock, and Rock responding in kind, and then Austin toasting the WWF Championship is pure gold, and all the time Fred Durst chanting "check out my melody" in the background. More awesomeness. The match was made no disqualification, which I didn't have a problem with because the violence in the match only added to it, showcasing the desperation of both men to capturing the industry's biggest prize. A large portion of this match took place outside of the ring, with Austin and Rock battering each other with various weapons including the ring bell and WWF title belt itself. They also had a brief period where they brawled through the crowd and back again, and the referee had no way of controlling them. Back in the ring, they traded Sharpshooters, but no matter how beaten, how bloody, neither man would give up. Not tonight. Austin even dug down deep and pulled out the Million Dollar Dream, but still The Rock refused to die. As The Rock kicked out of a Stone Cold Stunner, Vince McMahon, still battered from his earlier brawls, marches down to ringside. Rock hits The People's Elbow and has the title won, but Vince McMahon pulled him off the cover! Vince McMahon helps his long time rival, bitter enemy, Stone Cold. And it wouldn't end there. We all now know what followed. Austin and McMahon join forces. The two men that set the world on fire in 98/99 with their unbelievable feud, fuelled by hatred, and there they stand in the middle of the ring, holding a beer and shaking hands. This was an awesome match with arguably the most unbelievable finish you will ever see. Some say Austin pinning Rock after 16 chair shots was anticlimactic, but I loved the fact that Rock wouldn't get pinned after a Stunner. Yes, The Rock had been screwed, but he wouldn't take the ultimate insult and lose to the Stunner. Austin ended it perfectly with by leaving a beer by the beaten down and bloodied Rock as we ended the most amazing pay-per-view of all time.
The Conclusion:
Stuart Carapola: here's a lot of talk that this may be the best PPV of all time, with its only real competition being Great American Bash 1989. As far as I'm concerned, Bash 89 has NOTHING on this show. Bash 89 was pretty good in terms of workrate, but had a crappy undercard. This show had a better undercard and every bit of the workrate from the midcard up. It also had that big show feel that Bash 89 didn't have. This was THE biggest show of the year, the atmosphere was electric, the workrate was top notch, the storytelling was all done right, and we even had a fun diversion in the Gimmick Battle Royal. As far as I'm concerned, there's no comparison.
Andy Clark: How can this show not be considered the greatest of all-time? You have great matches in Austin-Rock, Triple H-Taker, TLC 2, Vince-Shane, and Angle-Benoit. You have a solid undercard with Regal-Jericho, Eddie-Test, and the Hardcore Triple Threat. You have a great comedy and nostalgia act with the Gimmick Battle Royal, and you have a major Women's milestone with Chyna winning the Women's Title. And then of course you have the end of an era, capping off the end of the Monday Night Wars with the McMahon-Austin feud coming to an end. It's funny, there were a lot of appearances that had been rumored for this show (Ric Flair, Goldberg, Booker T, Limp Bizkit, Shawn Michaels) that didn't pan out, and yet this show is still so highly regarded. If you haven't seen this show you absolutely must and if you have seen it you owe it to yourself to watch it again.
Samuel Berman: I really can't imagine what it would be like to be a wrestling fan that's never seen WrestleMania X-7 (and, yes, I know I probably just offended like a third of my readership). It would be like saying you like Shakespeare, but have never read or seen Hamlet. Are there other great wrestling shows out there? Of course there are. I was live at ROH Better Than Our Best and loved it. I remember watching Royal Rumble 2000 and hanging on every minute of HHH-Cactus. But nothing compares to this one. This is the biggest show of all time, put on during one of the hottest periods in the company's history. It's almost strange to think that this show now happened almost six years ago because so much of the action is truly timeless, with impact and influence that continues today. If you're a younger fan, a newer fan, or somehow just missed this one, find a copy and sit down on a Sunday afternoon. You cannot be disappointed.
Dan Wilcox: The blurb on the back of the video case says; "A record-breaking crowd of 67,925 was on hand for an historic night, which included T.L.C. II, a father-son was, and a championship match with an ending you won't believe." This really doesn't even scratch the surface of how phenomenal this pay-per-view was. The production, appearance, crowd, everything, it was off the hook all night. Every match was at the very least decent, important and great viewing. The show was laid out perfectly and was a real milestone. No doubt the most memorable show of all time. 4 matches that I would rate **** or above is unprecedented, and there are a couple I would rate just below that. Many people say this is the greatest pay-per-view of all time, and I see absolutely no reason why not. It was supposedly the curtain call of the attitude era, would you expect anything less?
